The Sisters of Alpha Kappa Omicron announce two current students have been named as winners of the 2026 AKO Leadership Awards. The awards were established to award two Alfred University students each year through the generous support from numerous donors from the AKO sisterhood.
The awards are given through the Beth Robinson Judson Leadership Center (JLC), in consultation with the AKO Awards Selection Committee, made up of AKO alumnae.
Sophia Bill, a junior marketing major (communication studies minor) from Arkport, NY, is the winner of the 2026 AKO Social Change Leadership Award. Jessalyn Aderhold, a sophomore fine arts major from Hamilton, NJ, is the recipient of the 2026 AKO Achievement Award. Sophia and Jessalyn will each be awarded an honorarium.
The AKO Social Change Leadership Award is given to a junior who has demonstrated superior efforts in creating change-for-the-good for the Alfred University community. An emphasis is placed on active, authentic service-based leadership which creates sustainable change.
Sophia, a member of the Women’s Leadership Academy 2024-25 cohort, participated in the spring 2025 Women’s Leadership capstone, which involved a clean-up project benefiting the village of Alfred. As part of the project, she also volunteered for a clean-up project at Living Acres Farms in Alfred.
She has been involved with several marketing projects through the College of Business that have helped spur positive change. In the spring of 2024, she and fellow students in the BUSI 106 class created a business that designed tote bags for the campus and Alfred communities, which raised more than $1,000 donated to the Hornell Humane Society. The project won third place in that year’s Saxon Tank competition.
Sophia also participated in a project last fall in which she and other students conducted market research for The Neighborhood Children’s Museum, a planned facility in Olean, NY. She collaborated on a script that was used in focus groups held at Alfred University for parents of children in the area. The data collected was used in a marketing strategy presentation to museum organizers.
“Sophia was in the Women’s Leadership Academy last year and it was genuinely such a pleasure to have her participate,” said Abby Hurley, coordinator of the Judson Leadership Center. “She started off relatively quiet and reserved, neither of which are bad things — but she also really took to the challenge and pushed herself to be vulnerable and really grow within the Academy program. I’m so proud of her for what she has accomplished, and I think she’s very deserving of this award.”
As an Alfred University Summer Bridge peer mentor, Sophia works with first-year students to help prepare them for college life. She is also a public services worker at Scholes Library.
“Leadership was never something that I had sought out or ever intended to jump into. I’ve never been first to answer questions, and I didn’t try to draw any special or extra attention to myself. I’ve never followed the crowd, nor have I tried to start leading any either,” Sophia said. “Instead, I found myself taking up roles of leadership naturally in my daily life. My personal values and morals are what got my foot into leading, it’s always just felt like the right thing to do. Alfred has been a place where leadership is embraced rather than encouraging complacency. My time here has inspired me to carry my voice with confidence and lift the voices of the reluctant. You do not have to be the loudest in the room to lead, the qualifications of a leader lie within.”
The AKO Achievement Award is given to a sophomore who has demonstrated excellence in personal academic leadership and honors the high standards of scholastic performance.
Jessalyn is enrolled in the JLC’s Women’s Leadership Academy, examining feminist history and social justice issues while engaging in discussions on effective strategies for women in leadership roles. Despite being only a sophomore, she has already been in two leadership development programs— two of the more intense programs that the JLC has offered. Additionally, she has taken opportunities within this program that not every student has, such as participating in the women’s empowerment retreat in October. She is taking part in the Academy’s year-end capstone project which will focus on community service.
With a passion for LGBTQIA+ advocacy, the essay Jessalyn wrote to the AKO awards selection committee was reflective of intersections of gender and leadership issues. She also participated in the Emerging Leadership Program, taking part in group discussions on leadership qualities and strategies for fostering a positive and productive work environment.
“I’ve known Jessalyn her entire time here at AU and I am so happy she stays involved in the Judson Leadership Center. She is a warm-hearted, altruistic, and thoughtful individual who has shown a lot of growth her first two years here at Alfred,” Hurley said of Aderhold. “The Women’s Leadership Academy can be a very rigorous and demanding program, on top of your studies no matter what your major might be, and Jessalyn has really stayed on top of her grades through not just one, but two years involved in leadership development programs through our office, so she is very deserving of the AKO Achievement Award.”
Jessalyn is NCAA operations manager for the Alfred University varsity field hockey team, directing and organizing team fundraising efforts, managing away matches, and planning team-building activities.
“I am greatly honored to receive the Alpha Kappa Omicron Achievement Award. Throughout my time at Alfred University, I have intentionally pursued leadership roles through the Women's Leadership Academy, the Honors Program, the Athletic Program, and student-led clubs,” Jessalyn said. “These opportunities have strengthened my ability to support and collaborate with others, as well as develop strong communication, organization, and mentorship skills. Leadership is important now more than ever, and I am grateful to have an atmosphere in which I can grow as a leader, as well as a person.”
